BEVERLY, Mass. (May 8, 2026) – The Western New England baseball team will return to the Conference of New England Championship Game this coming weekend, punching their ticket following a 7-4 win over the CNE's top-seeded Gulls of Endicott College on Friday afternoon, led by Corey Kilroy, who delivered three hits, including a two-run home run and two-RBI double in the late innings, leading WNE past the Gulls. 

Records:

• No. 3 Western New England: 24-18
• No. 1 Endicott College: 32-9

How it Happened:

First Inning:

• The scoring started in the top of the inning when the Golden Bears, designated as the road team, scored early against the 11^th-ranked Gulls. Ryan Montini picked up a single with one out, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and was driven in on a Leo Paragarino RBI single, putting the Blue and Gold ahead early. 
• Tanner Wall made the start for Western New England, coming off two full days of rest, set down Endicott in order in the bottom of the frame, getting a strikeout and a pair of groundouts to quickly sit down the Gulls. 

Fifth Inning:

• Neither team could get a run in the second, third, or fourth innings, as Wall for WNE and Matt Pappalardo for Endicott had their pitches working. The Gulls broke their scoreless drought with a run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game off Wall. Adam Regan reached on a throwing error by the WNE infield with two outs, while Kyle Grabowski doubled down the left field line to score Regan, evening the score at one. Endicott left two runners on base in the frame, seeing WNE escape further damage. 

Sixth Inning:

• WNE's lead came right back to them in the top of the sixth inning, seeing Leo Paragarino reach on a two out single, followed by the fourth home run of the season from junior Corey Kilroy, who launched a similar shot to Ryan Montini's home run in yesterday's win over Hartford, striking a shot to left centerfield, giving the Golden Bears a 3-1 lead. 
• Endicott battled right back and took its first lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the inning, seeing Paul Armstrong, AJ Hamm, and James Benestad all reach base with one out, while pinch-hitter Brady Rickenbach delivered a bases-clearing double to right field, giving the Gulls a 4-3 lead. Wall was once again able to escape further damage, keeping Endicott ahead by one after six innings. 

Eighth Inning:

• Both teams went down in order in the seventh inning, while the Golden Bears responded in the top of the eighth to take the lead back. Ryan Montini and Leo Paragarino walked on four pitches each, while Tyler Kornacki was hit by a pitch to load the bases against Endicott's Evan Scully. Corey Kilroy then delivered in a big moment for the Golden Bears, coming up with a two-RBI double, pulling WNE back ahead 5-4. The Golden Bears left two on base in the frame, but needed six outs to come away with a chance at the championship game. 
• Brody Rogers came into the game for Wall in the seventh and got Endicott to fly out, ground out, and strike out in the bottom of the eighth, as Western New England would become three outs away from reaching the championship game. 

Ninth Inning:

• Looking to add insurance in the top of the ninth, Western New England saw Antonio Galizia single to right field on a 3-1 count to get a runner on base. The Golden Bears used small ball to move Galizia over to second, as Jack Gamache pushed a bunt down the third base line for an out, but putting a runner in scoring position. After the Gulls got Tyler Waterbury to line out, Ryan Montini slashed a double to left field to score Galizia, adding an insurance run for the Golden Bears. Tyler Kornacki followed Montini's double with one of his own, adding another run to the scoreboard for Western New England, giving WNE a 7-4 lead. 
• Jason Pinsonnault worked the ninth, pitching in back-to-back games for the Golden Bears, looking to secure the win for the Blue and Gold. Pinsonnault got a pop-out from Adam Regan, and a foul-out from TJ Liponis for the first two outs of the ninth inning, and struck out Endicott's Kyle Grabowski to end the game and pick up the save, punching Western New England's ticket to the CNE Championship game on Saturday. 

Inside the Lines:

• Corey Kilroy delivered two massive hits for the Golden Bears, a two-run home run in the sixth and a two-RBI double in the eighth to put the Blue and Gold ahead for good. 
• Leo Paragarino went 3-for-4 for the Blue and Gold, picking up an RBI and a run. 
• Ryan Montini had a pair of hits and an RBI, adding an insurance run in the top of the ninth to set down the Gulls. 
• Tanner Wall lasted six innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, two earned, walking one and striking out three. Brody Rogers picked up the win, going two innings, walking one, and striking out two. Jason Pinsonnault worked for the second straight day, needing 17 pitches to get the Gulls 1-2-3 to secure the victory for Western New England in the bottom of the ninth, collecting his third save of the season. 
• Endicott's biggest hit of the afternoon came from pinch-hitter Brady Rickenbach, who cleared the bases with a three-RBI double. 
• EC's Matt Pappalardo lasted six innings, giving up six hits and three runs, striking out six. Evan Scully took the loss for the Gulls, giving up a hit and two runs and walking two. Kyan Bagshaw surrendered three hits and two runs for the Gulls out of the bullpen. 
• Today marks the first win for Western New England over Endicott since April 17, 2019, breaking a 15-game losing streak. 
• WNE is in the championship game for the fourth time over the last six seasons. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will play either Endicott College or the University of Hartford in the Conference of New England Championship Game, scheduled for Sunday, May 10, at 11:00 AM. WNE faces the winner of Endicott and Hartford, who play beginning at 3:15 PM on Friday afternoon.